I'm not new to towing but I am new to towing with a car.. my question is about the hitch and receiver, since they are brand new and have no dirt/dust/rust to seal 'em up really good there is some play, very small like a 16th on an inch. Does this play go away? In the meantime, could I wrap some electrical tape or hockey tape around the hitch? When I did a test tow a couple of days ago this small amount of play resulted in some clanking noise, which is minor outside the vehicle but inside, it reverberates through the frame.. makes a heck of sound. Its especially bad towing just the trailer frame as there is so little tongue weight every little bump causes a rattle sound.Mark

How does sealant get on my triceps and then my car seat?? more than once??Aluminum is almost as fascinating as wood.Link to my build thread: 4 1/2 x 9

Thanks for the responses, and to clarify the 1/16" play I was describing at the ball, like Tony mentions around the actual hitch/receiver contact point its much smaller. I know with older busses with class III receivers I've driven they just rust up and plug up nice and good. Then of course they never get taken off those vehicles. I shall have to tow a with proper tongue weight and see if its a big deal.. when I do I'll follow up just to close up this post.

How does sealant get on my triceps and then my car seat?? more than once??Aluminum is almost as fascinating as wood.Link to my build thread: 4 1/2 x 9

ssuuki19 wrote:Thanks for the responses, and to clarify the 1/16" play I was describing at the ball, like Tony mentions around the actual hitch/receiver contact point its much smaller. I know with older busses with class III receivers I've driven they just rust up and plug up nice and good. Then of course they never get taken off those vehicles. I shall have to tow a with proper tongue weight and see if its a big deal.. when I do I'll follow up just to close up this post.

Make sure you have the right size ball and hitch. If they are both 2 inch or both 1 7/8 and there is till slop, you can tighten the hitch up a bit. Usually there is a bolt or a nut on the inside bottom that you can tighten. You want some play there, but not a lot.

on one I had that was loose, I drilled a hole in the bottom of the 2" receiver, welded a nut to it, and when I pinned the hitch in, I tightened a bolt thru the nut to jam the hitch in the receiver, eliminating the slop

I dont believe you want play there at all. Like yrock87 said, there should be a nut under there you can tighten. When i bought my new trailer it went super tight onto my 2in ball. Like really, really tight. I asked the salesman if he knew what size it was-no. I couldn't read the printing on the trailer coupler because they had filled it in with paint. I put a 1 7/8 ball on and took it home. In the bright sunlight i could just make out the stamping that said its 2in. Problem? 1/8in of paint inside the coupler. Im exadurating, but they painted the whole trailer until the paint was running off everywhere. I just put a bunch of grease in there and it seems fine now with the 2in ball. That may be your solution, a whole lotta paint

Hey all I just wanted to say thanks for the responses - I really like the idea of drilling and tapping a hole for a 'checknut' say.. brilliant. Simple. Also the idea about putting a bead down around and grinding it to tolerance. I have to fit this Reese sway control kit too, I'm super interested to see what difference it makes.

How does sealant get on my triceps and then my car seat?? more than once??Aluminum is almost as fascinating as wood.Link to my build thread: 4 1/2 x 9